By MATT SMITH
Computer Adaptive Testing will be the only kind of test of the near future, but many students preparing for the GRE or GMAT don't even know what it is.
The BYU GMAT preparation department says that only the computerized tests will be available for the next two years.
Kaplan, a claims that 70 percent of students preparing for the GMAT were not aware of the CAT or how it works.
'This is the biggest change in standardized testing in decades,' said Ann Mecca, Kaplan representative.
According to Kaplan, a test-preparation company, the CAT is not a paper and pencil test on computer, but a completely new kind of assessment.
Test-takers see one question at a time. If they answer correctly, the next question is more difficult. If they answer incorrectly, the next question is easier.
Educational Testing Services continues to modify the way in which the CAT is scored and how it works.
The CAT is a highly individualized test experience. The level of question difficulty influences your score, unlike the paper and pencil test.
Also, right or wrong answers to the early questions have an impact on the rest of your test and your score.
Some of the best things about the test are that it is shorter than the paper and pencil tests, and you get your score immediately after finishing. Instead of taking the exam in a large group, you take the CAT privately at your own terminal, Mecca said.
Currently, students may take a paper and pencil test on the computerized GRE. However, the paper and pencil test is being offered less frequently, Mecca said. It is expected that the GRE will be administered only on computer by 1999.
There are only two opportunities a year to take the GMAT, March 15 and June 21 according to Kaplan, a test preparation company.
To learn more about test preparation contact the BYU Test Preparation Center at 378-3550.